First Selectman's Report: 9/19 – 9/23/2022

1. The Town Budget referendum will be held on Wednesday, September 28th. If the budget passes, the new mill rate will be 26.83 mills. You may learn more about the proposed budget here: https://www.colchesterct.gov/2022-2023-budget-information 

 

2. One of the blessings of living in the wonderful community of Colchester is the incredibly productive and diverse farms that dot our breathtaking landscape and provide residents with fresh and healthy food. I want to highlight the products of these farms that sustain us so we can support them in their continued efforts to feed and sustain us. 

 

This week I would like to highlight the Savitsky Farm at 195 Cato Corner Road, where you can enjoy the bounty of the autumn season with a purchase of pumpkins, gourds, stackable pumpkins, hay, cornstalks, Indian corn, mums, and a pleasing variety of farm stand fresh organic veggies. Open sunrise to sunset. See you there!! 

 

3. The Town Green Revitalization Project is active! Through a $360K State Grant, the Town can expect new light pole conduit, new light poles, new benches, handicap ramps, a new sign, and much more. The project should be completed by Thanksgiving.

 

4. Interested in tracking Fall Foliage? Follow the Fall Foliage Report weekly at https://www.depdata.ct.gov/forestry/foliage/foliagemap.htm 

 

The Estimated Date of Peak Foliage - October 5th through November 8th

 

5. The Colchester Tax office has launched a new online bill pay system, offering more ways to view and pay your tax bills. Residents can sign up to receive text and/or email alerts, and make a payment with credit cards, e-checks Venmo, PayPal, apple pay, or google pay.  

 

The new service brings a user-friendly online payment portal enabling customers to view and pay bills and schedule one-time and automatic payments. Email notifications are sent when the bill is ready to view, just before the due date and when a scheduled payment is pending. Creating an account is recommended; however, it is not necessary to view bills and make a payment. 

 

With Pay by Text, customers can stay informed by receiving text notifications about their bill and additionally have the option to respond via text message to make a payment. Customers can enroll in Pay by Text and other services when making an online payment. Please remember that fees do apply when using online services: ACH/EFT (checking only) flat fee is $1.50 – all other payments are 2.95% of the charged amount with a min fee charge of $2.50. 

 

Visit www.colchesterct.gov to view and pay your tax bills online. For more information about these services or if you have any tax bill-related questions, please contact the tax office at (860) 537-7210. The Colchester Tax Office is open M-F 8:30 am-4:30 pm and Thursdays until 7 pm.